6-Foot-5 Georgetown Transfer Looking At UConn

JOHN ALTAVILLA, jaltavilla@courant.com

Without a post player in the class of 2015, the national champion Huskies may be considering taking on a talented transfer from a former Big East rival.

Two sources told The Courant on Sunday that Georgetown center Natalie Butler, a 6-foot-5 center voted the Big East's freshman of the year, may be interested in transferring to UConn. One said she was in Storrs on Friday for a visit.

A spokesman for the Hoyas confirmed that she has been released from her scholarship and is free to transfer.

Butler tied for ninth in Division I with 24 double-doubles and was the unanimous selection for freshman of the year. Her father is Vernon Butler, who played with David Robinson on the 1986 Navy team that made it to the Elite Eight. She is also considering Virginia.

That Butler would want out of Georgetown makes a lot of sense. Its coaching situation has been in flux since Terri Williams-Flournoy left for Auburn after the 2011-12 season.

Keith Brown was named coach of the Hoyas in May 2012 after serving as the top assistant and head recruiter for five seasons under Williams-Flournoy.

Brown resigned last October, eight days after being placed on administrative leave following complaints of unprofessional conduct and inappropriate language lodged by some of his players. The Hoyas had just begun practicing for the 2013-14 season.

Since his promotion, multiple players have left the program, included two who transferred to George Mason: Taylor Brown, the Washington Post's All-Met player of the year in 2011, and Jasmine Jackson, who played two seasons for the Hoyas.

Georgetown lost eight of its final 10 games and finished 15-16 in Brown's only season, missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years.

Natasha Adair, former coach at College of Charleston, was just named the Hoyas' new coach.

Neither Geno Auriemma nor Chris Dailey responded to requests for comment. If UConn were to agree to take Butler, she would have to sit out a season per NCAA transfer rules.

Boykin Announces

De'Janae Boykin, a 6-3 forward and Maryland's Gatorade player of the year, has announced that she will attend UConn. Her decision was announced on multiple social media formats on Sunday night.

Boykin joins Napheesa Collier, a 6-foot-1 wing from Incarnate Word Academy of St. Louis, in the Class of 2015. Collier announced last month. Boykin, who made her official visit to UConn with Collier and two others two weeks ago, averages more than 21 points and 15 rebounds a game in her and is considered a great three-point threat.

Guard Haley Gorecki announced she will attend Duke. Katie Lou Samuelson has yet to commit. Meanwhile, 6-2 Erin Boley made her second visit to campus last week.

Collier had considered Missouri, Kentucky, Notre Dame and Maryland. She averaged 23.7 points and 10.0 rebounds to help lead Incarnate Word (31-1) to its second straight Class 4A Missouri championship last year as a junior. She had 33 points and nine rebounds in the championship game, a 60-43 win over Dexter.

Collier was also the Gatorade state player of the year as a sophomore, when she averaged 24.6 points and 11.9 rebounds in her first season at Incarnate Word after transferring from Jefferson City.